Page 56 of Tempting Devil
I nodded, shifting my eyes forward as I continued walking, my idyllic surroundings at odds with the myriad of thoughts warring for attention in my mind.
“What’s your end goal here?” I asked finally, even though I had a feeling I’d regret it.
“You know the famous Confucius saying, don’t you?” He swallowed hard, confirming my suspicion that I wouldn’t like his response. “‘Before you embark on a journey of revenge, dig two graves.’”
I faltered in my steps, and he wrapped an arm around my waist to steady me. “You don’t mean?—”
“My grave has already been dug, Imogene. It was the second Liam pointed a gun at me and fired. I’ve just been on borrowed time since then.”
My heart dropped, tears blurring my vision as I struggled to comprehend his words. I knew what each meant individually, but strung together? I refused to believe it.
“You’re planning on sacrificing yourself?”
“I am prepared to die to make sure justice is served, should it come to that.”
I shook my head, the weight of this too much for me to bear. I tore away from him and paced the dirt path, feeling like my world was spinning uncontrollably around me.
“What am I supposed to do with all of this? How am I supposed to be okay with you dying all over again?”
“I hope it doesn’t come to that. I?—”
“And what about everything else?” I threw up my hands in exasperation and stopped in front of him, my eyes on fire. “Am I just supposed to keep it to myself, knowing what you most likely plan to do to James and Liam? What you did to Alton?”
“I won’t tell you what to do,” he responded evenly. “If you feel the need to go to the authorities and turn me in, I won’t fault you for it. In the beginning, I struggled with this path myself. Unfortunately, I’ve had to come to terms with some hard truths over the past five years.”
“Like what?” I crossed my arms in front of my chest.
“There are no absolutes in life. Black and white? Righteous and immoral? Good and evil? Those things don’t really exist. No one is purely good or purely bad. Some people do bad things for good reasons.”
“And some do good things for bad reasons,” I finished.
“You just have to decide for yourself where my actions fall. I can’t do that for you.”
“And what am I supposed to do about Liam? I can’t ignore him forever.”
“He won’t hurt you,” he assured me. “Ever since I learned he hired those men to send you the necklaces, then kidnap you, I’ve made sure of that.”
“Wait. What?” I snapped my eyes back to his.
How much more could I possibly take before I completely lost it? My entire reality had been shattered in a matter of minutes. And now to learn that Liam was behind those necklaces and the attack, as well?
“Why would he do that? That doesn’t make any sense.”
“Actually, it makes perfect sense. Did he do or say anything around that time to try to convince you to do something he wanted?”
I parted my lips, about to answer in the negative when I stopped myself, recalling my recent disagreements with Liam. “He kept citing it as a reason why I wasn’t safe living alone,” I said under my breath, a heat washing over me. “You don’t think he did all of that just so I’d move in with him, do you?” I met his gaze.
“Where you’re concerned, nothing’s off limits for Liam.” He reached for my hand and I allowed him to take it in his. “Regardless of why he hired those men, he still put your life in danger. I won’t give him a chance to do it again.”
“I still can’t…” I trailed off, struggling with all the bombs he’d dropped on me in the past several minutes. Hell, since dropping the biggest bomb of all on me this morning.
“I’ve thrown a lot of information at you.” He ran his thumb over my knuckles.
Normally, I’d find the gesture soothing. But nothing could soothe the turmoil swirling inside of me like a tumultuous storm.
“I don’t blame you if you have trouble believing me,” he continued, able to read my thoughts and reservations. “I haven’t exactly given you any reason to trust me, but do me a favor.”
“What’s that?”